New diagnosis- where to purchase

My cat was diagnosed last week. I've been trying to find a local pharmacy willing to sell a single pen of Lantus, but all the places I've contacted will only sell the five packs or the 10 ml bottles. Any suggestions for pharmacies in the southwestern part of Wisconsin? Thanks.

 

I live in CA, so no help from me, but I just wanted to welcome you to Lantus Land: the nicest place you never wanted to be! I'm sure someone will be along in the morning to help - most of the people in your neck of the woods are asleep right now. I have a lot of relatives in Wisconsin - mostly in Tomah and near Madison. One is a vet tech, so maybe I can find out from her if you can't get an answer here. I'll keep watching your condos to see if you get the info you need. There are a few places that will sell singles, but most won't. I know some people have had success at Target.

I hope you're reading all the stickies and learning lots. There is so much info here that it's very overwhelming, but please know that everyone here has been where you are, and we are a very caring group of people. We'll do our best to help you and your sugar cat! Don't be afraid to ask questions - no matter how silly they might seem. The more you learn, the more you can help your kitty.

 

I would try Target, Costco and Sam's Club if you haven't done so already. It really varies state to state who will sell single pens. You might also want to check the local hospital pharmacies. They often break up the boxes to use for in-hospital use and might be willing to sell single pens.

If all else fails, you could buy a vial and then for your next order, purchase through Canada. It's much cheaper and we can get you the info.

 

I did have luck at my local Target, and I know others have had luck at at Target, too, but unfortunately it is store-dependent and not all Targets are willing to break a box. As Sienne said, try 'em all - hopefully someone will break a box for you.

Welcome to L&L Land!

 

I've purchased insulin from Craigslist before in the past. Some people sell cheaper than what they got it for. More often than not, they either switched insulins, or are on the pump, hence the reason for wanting to get rid of the Lantus. Good luck!

 

Thanks for all the replies. I've tried the local pharmacies, compounding pharmacies, Kmart, Shopko, Target, Walgreens, Walmart, Sam's Club, and the local hospital pharmacies. No Costco anywhere nearby. I've also checked Craigslist, but nothing there. No one is willing to sell individual pens.

I guess I'm just going to have to pony up for the 10 ml vial and order from a Canadian pharmacy at a later date. With the 10 ml vial, do most of you use some sort of vial protector? I've seen them advertised. Also, any suggestions on needles? The ones they have for me at Walgreens may have difficulty drawing 1 unit.

 

Many people here use the Relion needles at Walmart. They have half unit markings. 100u, 3/10cc, 3/8" ,31 gauge. We also frequently order from ADW, go to the home page, click on the shopping affiliates link in the lower right hand corner. ADW doesn't have a logo , but it's about the 4th line down, American Diabetes Wholesale.

 

So sorry to hear you couldn't find a pharmacy to break the box for you. I live in a relatively small town and couldn't get single pens, either, so I bought a vial. I just put the vial in an empty coffee cup that was padded with some paper towels. Then I just sat the cup on a shelf in the refrigerator.

We used the Relion syringes that Ann mentioned.

 

Sienne, I would love the info about ordering from a Canadian Pharmacy. Is that listed somewhere on this site?

 

Tina, the last post here is the pharmacy a lot of us are using. They're really great! It's name is Marks Marine Pharmacy

Insulin from Canadian pharmacies

 

Thanks.

 

Okay, I think I've got the insulin and needles covered. Now, any suggestions on meters and test strips? Many of the reviews I'm finding here, and other places, are a couple of years old.

Also, for storing the insulin I'm a bit worried about it getting jostled about in the main refrigerator. I do have a mini fridge that I could use just for the insulin. Do any of you do something like this? How careful do I have to be with this vial?

Thanks for all your help so far.

 

Hello and welcome!

I wouldn't worry too much about jostling the insulin. You don't want to drop it. Some people put it in a meat compartment or separate drawer, not the door. I keep mine in a little cup with enough padding so that it doesn't move around in the cup.

As for strips, a lot of us here use the Relion Confirm or Micro. They need only a small drop of blood. You can go to the ADW site Ann mentioned earlier and buy the Arkray Glucocard01 strips which also fit into the Confirm or Micro - and at an even better price.

 

My vet is really pushing the Alphatrak meter. A conference she attended this year had a session just on feline diabetes and it was the majority opinion that the Alphatrak is the way to go. She suggested buying it from someone other than her office to get it cheaper. However, the cost of the test strips is quite pricey no matter where you buy them. Any opinions about going with the costly Alphatrak versus other meters? The Internet is filled with conflicting opinions on this

 

See my signature link Glucometer Notes for some info on what these meters do, how accurate ... they aren't (even the AlphaTrak), plus feline-specific reference numbers when using a human meter.

And consider who is paying for the meter and the testing strips (hint: not your vet!).

 

The vast majority of us use human meters. ALL meters have an allowed 20% variance anyway

What's important to watch for are patterns...is the dose I'm giving getting them into good numbers most of the time?

It doesn't matter if those numbers are from a human meter or pet...You just have to learn the reference numbers for human vs pet meter

I test China an average of 6-8 times a day. If I was using the Alpha, that'd cost me over $240 a month just for the strips!

With the Relion Confirm or Micro from WalMart, it's more like $75/month....I'd much rather use my money for a new cat tree, some new toys, a better food or just about anything else!

 

The other thing to consider is availability of the strips. If you run out on the weekend and the vet's office is closed, you are stuck. You can also get strips from Amazon, but there is also a delay. If you are using a human meter, no problem getting strips right away. We have a member who just last night was using AlphaTrak and realized her order wasn't going to get here in time and she'd run out. She bought a Relion today.

 

The price difference for strips is huge! The Alphatrak strips are over a dollar each. I get the glucocard ones for about $.26 each from ADW. One thing about ADW, you want to Google "ADW diabetes coupon" before you order. You can usually get a coupon code that will take an additional $5 off your order.

Another thing to bear in mind, if you don't like the relion, you'll only be out a few bucks. If you don't like the Alphatrak, and even though I'm relatively new, I've seen that happen a lot, you're out a good bit of money.

 

I'm definitely buying a ReliOn confirm or micro tomorrow (any preferences about which one to choose?). I emailed my vet about going with ReliOn and included a link to BJM's glucometer notes. (Thanks BJM.)

Thanks all and keep the advice coming.

 

If you have any hand/finger dexterity issues, you may find the larger Confirm easier to manage. If you have reasonably good hand coordination, you'll be fine with either.

 

I think I'll go with the Confirm then. I'm usually dexterous, but every now and then it fails me. By the way, BJM, do you have the raw data for the glucometer notes (human versus Alphatrak numbers)? I'd be interested in trying to do a spline fit to the data.

 

The ranges are drawn from the 2013 Room and Rand article Management of Diabetic Cats With Long-Acting Insulin. I believe it is posted in the Lantus/Levemir forum.

 

I think I can close out this thread now. All supplies purchased and Edwin had his first Lantus shot tonight. I finally posted my introduction over here: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hello-from-edwin-first-lantus-shot-tonight.132396/